Mixed-sex sports

Mixed-sex sports (also known as mixed-gender or coed sports) are individual and team sports whose participants are not of a single sex. There are different type models of the structuring of different sexes’ participation:

Sports in which sex noticeably affects competitors′ relative performance typically organise single-sex events and/or divisions but also some mixed-sex team events (e.g., mixed doubles in tennis). In organised sport settings, event rules very often specify how many of each sex must be on each team (e.g., one man and one woman ''pairs''). Usually, such a stipulation's main purpose is to account for physiological sex differences.

Mixed-sex sports at informal settings in contrast are typically groups of neighbours, friends or family playing without regard to the sex of the participants (no matter which sport is played).

Mixed-sex play is common in children's sports—before puberty and adolescence, sport-relevant sex differences are absent, have no discernible impact or affect performance far less than general growth.

Less often, mixed-sex sport events may be organised to boost female participation (either in particular sports or in all). Another reason given is to improve social harmony between the sexes.[1]

Contents

Direct competition

It is uncommon in most organised sports to find individuals of different genders competing head-to-head at elite levels, principally due to physiological differences between the (adult) sexes. In sports where these differences are less linked to performance, it is standard practice for men and women to compete in mixed-sex fields. These open-class sports prove accommodating to intersex athletes, who challenge sex-defined rules of both single-sex events and mixed-sex teams with distinct male and female composition.

In snooker, the professional tour is open to men and women, although only one woman has to date competed on the tour for a full year (other women have played in individual tournaments). In addition, the separate women-only tour encourages female participation in the sport.

The mixed division is a staple of Ultimate (without being the standard)—it is the only division showcased at both the 2013 and 2017 World Games. Seven-player mixed teams (4 men plus 3 women, or 4 women plus 3 men) directly compete. While most often players mark opponents of the same gender, match-ups between people of different gender are not uncommon to see. Open divisions are common in Ultimate, where sex/gender is not explicitly relevant in team composition—although at highest competitive levels male players predominate these divisions. Accordingly, although women's divisions are also common, men's are not (only appearing in settings without open divisions).

Mixed pairs and mixed team events are occasionally organised in contract bridge.

Pairs may also compete in turn-based games: one format (out of many) alternates the woman and man of each pair just as the competing sides alternate, so each round has four turns of individual action. Well-suited to strategy-based sports (such as mixed doubles curling, mixed golf, mixed bowling, mixed team darts) where players can beneficially undertake mental planning or assessment while waiting for their turn.[3] Separate male and female performances may also be scored then added to produce mixed team results in such sports as diving. Synchronised diving is also found in mixed-sex format. In professional wrestling, mixed tag team matches do not explicitly alternate in a turn-based manner but each wrestler only faces their opponent of the same sex (switching occurs at players′ discretion).[4][5]

Mixed relay

In non-vehicular racing sports the physiological differences between the sexes often preclude head-to-head competition between people of different sexes at the elite level. Mixed-sex events are often held though with a relay race format.

Olympics

Ancient

Sports were almost never mixed in any way in ancient Greece (with the significant exception of Sparta).[6] Women were forbidden from competing in or viewing the ancient Olympic games.[note 1] They competed at the separate Heraean games, from which men were excluded.[7] Although taking place in the same stadium as the Olympic games and also every four years, it was an unrelated festival (of Hera) with fewer sport events, none of which exactly matched Olympic counterparts. Olympic winners were honoured in the Sanctuary of Zeus; Heraean winners at the Temple of Hera (where since 1936 the modern movement has lit and kept the Olympic Flame).[8]